What Stefer Rahardian learned from loss to Rene Catalan

Stefer “The Lion” Rahardian, 31, of Indonesia used to be an undefeated mixed martial artist with 9 wins and 0 loss. But on July 27, 2018, he had his first loss when he went the distance with Rene “The Challenger” Catalan of the Philippines at “ONE: Reign of Kings.”

After yielding to the multi-titled Filipino Wushu practitioner, Rahardian is given the chance for redemption. He is booked to square off with Peng Xue Wen of China in the co-main event of “ONE: Conquest of Heroes,” which will take place at the Jakarta Convention Center in Jakarta, Indonesia on September 22, 2018.

“I will do my best and really show what I have,” Rahardian stated. “I will put my best foot forward because I have trained very hard for this fight. My defeat last July made me realize just how much more I had to improve so that I can become a better martial artist.”

Over the course of three rounds at “ONE: Reign of Kings,” Catalan exhibited dynamic striking, feints, sweeping low leg kicks, and a powerful left hook that had Rahardian in trouble on multiple occasions. In the end, all three judges scored the bout in favor of the Filipino contender to win by unanimous decision.

Rahardian stressed that his hunger to take things into another level gives him the fresh perspective to persevere and push forward until he achieves his goal. The Indonesian standout is in the mood to get back on the winning track in his homeland at “ONE: Conquest of Heroes.”

“In my next bout, I hope to show everyone that I will just keep getting better with experience,” Rahardian noted. “My goal here is to become one of the very best. I won’t let my countrymen, friends, family and teammates down this time around.”

For Rahardian, his upcoming bout against Peng is a great opportunity for him to redeem himself. He said, “My last performance, I wasn’t at my best, and I feel I wasn’t able to showcase what I can really do in there.”

Meanwhile, here is Rahardian sharing his experience as a bullying victim: